Carlos Iturralde is one of the six ICElab collaborators for the 2012 season. This is our first installment on Carlos’ ICElab residency: a look into the roots of his music and his first impressions of the ICElab experience.

 

Photo by Ariette Armella

 

What motivated you to apply to ICElab?

 

Despite living relatively close to the US, my work has never been performed there; this was a very big motivation for me to apply for ICElab. But maybe the most interesting feature of ICElab, is its format: a situation which allows musicians to get acquainted with my work with a panoramic view, and at the same time, gives them a chance to propose solutions and work on details on a workshop situation. I'm sure that working in this context will provide solutions for issues that would be more difficult to solve in other situations.

 

You have spent most of your life in Mexico. What, if any, influence has Mexican culture had on your current work as a composer and musician?

 

Mexican culture has definitely made a big impact on me. How couldn't it? I was raised in Mexico City, a monster city inserted in a complex country. One never really finishes to get acquainted with it, a city that everybody hates, but few dare to leave. So just like any other Mexican, it has affected my tastes, my personality, and conformed my idiosyncrasy. As many other countries, Mexico isn't just one big monolithic culture, there's a myriad of cultures and sub-cultures coexisting in here; usually the conceptual framework for my pieces comes from my joy to approach situations from an anthropological angle, I get all kinds of fantasies thinking about these matters. 

 

Your work is extremely eclectic, ranging from purely instrumental pieces to multimedia works, from improvisation to electro-acoustic music. How important is the relationship between these different facets in your work?

 

It is usually very important. I can't imagine a situation in which I would compose an instrumental or electronic piece without improvising a bit with the material I'm using, even if it is algorithmically generated. In the same way, although I must admit, that improvisation has a much more cathartic function in my life, than the other facet. I can't imagine myself, avoiding to explore situations, that I've imagine to write down while I'm improvising. I believe that connecting these matters opens doors and builds bridges for my ideas. 

 

So far, what has been the most exciting part of your ICElab experience?

 

It is just starting, but so far it is very promising above all because I've found nothing but openness to explore ideas and to give continuity to my work in every member of the ensemble that I've gotten in touch with.